Vegetable Soup - and It Ain't Campbell's

Even though we are in the middle of June, I decided to make soup!  One reason for this madness is I needed more space in my freezer - Brian had frozen two big containers of chicken broth that he had made following a couple of rotisserie chickens (see blog post of June 27, 2010) and they were taking up too much room.  The other reason for this madness is that is that Brian was coming home from a surgical procedure and I figured soup, with lots of vegetables, would be a nice, healing food to have around the house.

I found a basic vegetable soup recipe on the internet, and then, as Gourmet Gibbs is prone to do, I altered it based upon what I had in my fridge (some items were purchased in anticipation of making soup).  So feel free to make your own modifications, based upon what you have or what you like, but the soup I made calls for the following ingredients, listed in order of appearance:

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Medium Onions
6 Stalks Celery
1 8-ounce package Mushrooms
3 Carrots
4 Small to Medium Potatoes
2/3 Head Cauliflower
1 Large (28 oz?) Can Diced Tomatoes
6 Scallion Onions
2 Teaspoons Thyme
2 Teaspoons Marjoram
2 Teaspoons Salt
16 Cups Chicken Broth
5 Small Zucchini Squash



Wash all your vegetables, and cut off both ends of all vegetables that have two ends (Cauliflower does not).  Chop the Onions and Celery and place them in a large soup/stock pan.  Add the Olive Oil and sauté over low heat.  Next slice the Mushrooms and add these to the sauté mixture.

Continue to

sauté, stirring occasionally, until the veggies look good and sautéed to you!



Leave the pot over low heat, and return to the chopping block!  Peel the carrots and slice into sizes you want for your soup, and dice the
potatoes as well, not too big of pieces.  Combine the carrots, potatoes along with the can of Diced Tomatoes (packing juice, too) to your pot, stir in,  leave over low heat, with the lid on, for another 15 minutes or so, storing occasionally.

Next, add in the Chicken Broth.  If you've got homemade, so much the better, but if not, canned or cartoned will do just fine (I think - I've only made this soup once, and I used homemade).  Let the pan sit over the heat and chop the scallions.





 OOPS - the forgotten ingredients!  They were not present during the original photo shoot for the ingredients, so I had to schedule the photographer to come back and shoot them separately.  

Next add the spices, along with the scallions, and stir thoroughly.

Put the lid back on, and let the broth and soup catch up to the veggies in a low simmer.  While you're waiting, chop the Zucchini into soup-size slices.
 Add the sliced Zucchini, stir thoroughly, put the lid back on and let the soup continue a low simmer for another 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally - until the Zucchini is tender, but not mush.

IS IT SOUP YET?   YES!!!
Mmmmmm, good - Enjoy.

Brittany's Valentines Love Bites

Here's a great idea to make a yummy Valentine's treat for that special someone in your life, or for yourself if you are a narcissist.  My niece Brittany made them for her hubby of 5 months (yes, folks who are married for just 5 months do these sweet things for each other - I'm going to remind Brian that he has physical therapy appointment - people who have been together for 22 years do THESE things for each other).  Perhaps I should consider making a batch of Brittany's Valentines Love Bites for Brian.  I only saw these in their finished state, and Brittany did not realize that she should have photo-documented the entire process.

But they're pretty simple, so hopefully you too can do this at home.

Ingredients:

Square shaped Pretzels (Brittany used "Butter Snaps" by Hanover

M & M's - preferably the Valentines special package of reds, pinks and whites.

Hersey's "Hugs" and "Kisses" - the Hugs melt easier than the kisses.




Turn your oven on 200 degrees.  On a baking tin, arrange square cut pretzels, as many as you want to make.  Place a Hug or a Kiss on each pretzel.

Place in the oven for 4 - 5  minutes, until the chocolate is shiny and soft, but still holds its shape.

This will make the Hugs and Kisses squishy soft.

Remove from oven, place an M & M candy on each one, pushing the M & M down to flatten
the Hugs and Kisses.

Let cool in the refrigerator.

Give them to your loved one, and see what you get back in return for the deliciousness!

Happy Valentines Day from Gourmet Gibbs and Brittany.

Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Baked Brie

Cinnamon Apple Baked Brie

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, it’s always a good idea to have something new to put out as snack food.  I’m going to recommend Cinnamon Apple Baked Brie.  I had intended to post this closer to New Year’s (when I prepared it), but I’ve been procrastinating my blogging duties.  NO MORE!

Ingredients are at a minimum:  

1 small to medium round of Brie cheese

(if you can’t find a “round” you can put 2 or 3 triangle cuts together)

2 apples 

3 Tablespoons butter

Cinnamon-sugar spice

(I actually have a jar of pre-prepared cinnamon sugar - but if you don’t

just sprinkle in equal amounts of sugar and cinnamon)

If using frozen puff pastry, leave the box in the fridge overnight to thaw, and remove from the fridge 15 - 30 minutes before your ready to use it to bring it to room temperature.  Set the Brie out to come to room temperature as well.

Core and thinly slice the apples.

Melt butter in a large pan, then add the apples and sprinkle

with cinnamon-sugar spice.  

Sauté until the apples are cooked through

and the cinnamon-sugar begins to caramelize.  

Remove the cooked apples toa plate and let cool.

Lightly flour your baking dish and carefully unwrap the puff pastry dough into your pan.

(Because the Brie will ooze out once cooked, you’ll want to use a baking pan that’s at least 1 to 2 inches deep.)

Place the Brie on the pastry, 

then carefully arrange the apple slices 

across the top, fanning them out like so...

Fold the puff pastry up over the

sides of the Brie, and pinch together in an interesting looking pattern.  Brush the pastry dough with a light coating of beaten egg.

Bake according to the puff pastry package directions 

(if I remember correctly it was 20 - 25 minutes in a pre-heated 400 degree oven - you want the puff pastry to nicely brown, without burning.  I probably could have let mine cook a bit longer, as the bottom of the pastry crust was a bit doughy)

Serve with crackers, and a napkin!

Mac 'N Cheese

My assignment for the Monson Christmas Eve Dinner this year was Mac ‘N Cheese – popular with the kids and vegetarians in the family - and a favorite of mine that I had never before made from scratch. I didn’t have a recipe with me, I certainly wasn’t going to use Kraft, and I wasn’t excited about searching the internet on the small screen of my iPhone, so I turned to the ever-reliable “Bunny” in Seattle. Bunny’s always good for suggesting a recipe or two or even three when you need one. For macaroni and cheese, Bunny offered a recipe out of a cookbook from which he has enjoyed other recipes, although he had never made this particular recipe.

The deciding factor between Bunny’s recommended recipe and the one Brian found in the “Food and Wine” magazine at mom’s house is the “one pot” ease of Bunny’s – the pasta cooks in the same pot. (What my mom is doing with a “Food and Wine” magazine is an entirely separate subject.) Here’s what you’ll need:

A large, non stick skillet (I doubled the recipe, so I used a large non-stick stock pot)
3½ cups water, plus extra as needed
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed!)
12 ounces (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni
Salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon hot sauce
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1½ cups)
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1½ cups)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Ground black pepper

Bring 3½ cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the macaroni, and ½ teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9 to 12 minutes.

Whisk the remaining ½ cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard, and hot sauce together in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet.

Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. (Okay – here I realize that I have misled you – you will need to dirty a second bowl. And a word of caution – DON’T mix the cornstarch ingredients until you’re ready to stir it into the pasta – otherwise it will thicken up on you!)
Remove the pan/pot from the heat, then stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack, one handful at a time, adding water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce.

Stir in the butter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

A couple of “off the recipe” notes from Gourmet Gibbs. I didn’t want the pasta to be too “al dente” so I tested it after the suggested time, and continued to cook it for a few to several more minutes. That turned out to be unnecessary, as it continued to cook during the “off heat” process. Also, I prepared the dish prior to the “plate and serve” stage, so I transferred the macaroni and cheese to an oven safe bowl, covered with foil, and put in the warming oven until the whole family was seated at the table and it was time to eat.

Serving suggestion: with Ham, Sweet Potatoes, Polenta Cakes with Sauted Herbed Mushrooms. YUMMY!

Everyone loved the flavor of the Mac N’ Cheese, especially the kids; if you are preparing this for a strictly “adult” crowd, I might get a little more adventurous with the selection of cheeses to use.